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Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881
Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881
Context Illustration Reading 1/91 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A PROMISE OF BETTER TIMES.
When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.
It seemed a very long time.
Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.
Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 is here in full — 459 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/91 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A PROMISE OF BETTER TIMES.
/ə ˈprɑːməs ʌv ˈbetər taɪmz/
Line 2
When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.
Line 3
It seemed a very long time.
/ɪt siːmd ə ˈveri lɔːŋ taɪm/
Line 4
Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.
/wʌns ɪn ə waɪl ə feɪnt ˈmɜːrmər keɪm frʌm hɪz hɑːrp bʌt ɪt wɑːz ə mɪr ˈbriːðɪŋ ʌv saʊnd ənd hiː tɜːrnd ˈrestləsli ɪn hɪz tʃer/
Line 5
Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."
/ðen hiː kloʊzd hɪz aɪz ənd ˈweɪtɪd əˈɡen ənd hɪz ˈweɪtɪŋ wɑːz rɪˈwɔːrdɪd baɪ ə smɔːl vɔɪs ɪn hɪz iːr ˈwɪspərɪŋ hiːr wiː ɑːr hiːr wiː ɑːr/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

breathing noun US /ˈbriːðɪŋ/

the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

From this reading “Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.”

harp noun US /hɑːrp/

a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers

From this reading “Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.”

impatiently adverb US /ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəntli/

with impatience; in an impatient manner

From this reading “When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.”

murmur noun US /ˈmɜːrmər/

a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech

From this reading “Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.”

restlessly adverb US /ˈrestləsli/

in a restless manner

From this reading “Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.”

rewarded verb US /rɪˈwɔːrdɪd/

past form of “reward” — bestow honor or rewards upon

From this reading “Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."”

twilight noun US /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading “When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.”

whispering noun US /ˈwɪspərɪŋ/

a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind

From this reading “Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

waited impatiently verb + particle counted as “wait impatiently”

In this reading “When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.”

faint murmur adjective + noun

In this reading “Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.”

long time adjective + noun

a prolonged period of time

In this reading “It seemed a very long time.”

come out verb + adjective

appear or become visible; make a showing

In this reading “When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.”

came from verb + particle counted as “come from”

In this reading “Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.”

All words in this reading · 57

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A PROMISE OF BETTER TIMES.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

BETTERadjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading A PROMISE OF BETTER TIMES.

breathingnounUS /ˈbriːðɪŋ/

the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

darknessnounUS /ˈdɑːrknəs/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

earnounUS /iːr/

the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

faintadjectiveUS /feɪnt/

deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

harpnounUS /hɑːrp/

a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

impatientlyadverbUS /ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəntli/

with impatience; in an impatient manner

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It seemed a very long time.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

mereadjectiveUS /mɪr/

being nothing more than specified

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

murmurnounUS /ˈmɜːrmər/

a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A PROMISE OF BETTER TIMES.

OnceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

Phil

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

PROMISEverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading A PROMISE OF BETTER TIMES.

restlesslyadverbUS /ˈrestləsli/

in a restless manner

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

rewardedverbUS /rɪˈwɔːrdɪd/

past form of “reward” — bestow honor or rewards upon

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It seemed a very long time.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

starsnounUS /stɑːrz/

plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading It seemed a very long time.

TIMESnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading A PROMISE OF BETTER TIMES.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

twilightnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading It seemed a very long time.

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

waitedverbUS /ˈweɪtɪd/

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Phil was alone again, he waited impatiently for the long twilight to end in darkness, and the stars to come out.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Once in a while a faint murmur came from his harp, but it was a mere breathing of sound, and he turned restlessly in his chair.

whisperingnounUS /ˈwɪspərɪŋ/

a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind

From this reading Then he closed his eyes and waited again, and his waiting was rewarded by a small voice in his ear whispering, "Here we are, here we are."

Chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 by Various holds 459 sentences, grouped into 92 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 contain?

Chapter 3 holds 459 sentences of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 459 sentences, grouped into 92 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 3 of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881?

Work through the 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 92 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881

Common questions about reading Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881?

Yes. All 937 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 take to read?

About 78 minutes of reading across 188 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 section by section

How to work through Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881

Words and structures a reader meets early in Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pennant
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ice-boat
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Davidson
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Harper's Young People, February 22, 1881; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.